Who is the Worst All-Time First Round Pick by the Kansas City Chiefs?
by Chris Thorman on Mar 12, 2009 7:16 AM CDT
in 2009 Offseason
57 comments
The Real Deal laughs at these first round busts.
Following up yesterday's discussion about who the all-time best first round pick is by the Chiefs, we now turn toward who is the worst first round pick of all time.
This should be fun.
I've got a bit of dilemma in getting the poll together though. It's easier to look back at the 1960s and 1970s and pick out the greatest players. But for someone who did not grow up that era, it's pretty difficult to pick out the first round busts. Especially since draft coverage really wasn't even in vogue until the mid-1990s or so.
So if l leave a big time bust off the list, please let me know and I will add him in. I'm using the same Wikipedia resource, if you want to check it out. In case you were wondering why a guy like 2000 draft pick Sylvester Morris isn't on this list, it's because I'm not including guys who had injuries prematurely end their careers. That doesn't seem fair to me.
The candidates, after the jump.
QB Todd Blackledge (1983, #7 overall)
Stats with the Chiefs (1983-1987)
- Avg. QB rating: 69.96
- TD-INTs: 26-32
- Passing yards: 4510
- Comp. %: 50.5%
RB Harvey Williams (1991, #21 overall)
Stats with the Chiefs (1991-1993)
- Games started: 7
- Rushing attempts: 217
- Rushing yards: 858
- Rushing TDs: 2
- Fumbles: 5
OT Trezelle Jenkins (1995, #31 overall)
Stats with the Chiefs (1995-1997)
- Played in 9 games in 3 seasons
- That's it. The dude was a huge bust.
DT Ryan Sims (2002, #6 overall)
Stats with the Chiefs (2002-2006)
Games player: 59
Total tackles: 74
Sacks: 5
RB Paul Palmer (1987, #19 overall)
Stats with the Chiefs (1987-1988)
- Touchdowns: 2
- Rushing yards: 607
- Rush attempts: 158
My all time worst first round pick? It's gotta be Blackledge or Jenkins. I'm going Trezelle Jenkins. The guy started one freakin' game.
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Sweet
36 votes in and we have a 3-way tie.
by Chris Thorman on Mar 12, 2009 7:32 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Chris, I'm curious
Have you ever felt like posting something and then immediately commenting ’FIRST!" ?
Vae Victis!
by Buck'O on Mar 12, 2009 10:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ryan Sims
We traded up to take him. No Im not kidding.
No work ethic, if aggravated assault were legal for a day I think Gunther would have beat him with a tire iron, but it still wouldn’t have motivated this guy.
Didn’t come close to any of the hype that surrounded him in the draft which should be the determinig factor in considering whether a guy is a bust or not.
Seeing the names on this list makes me want to puke.
by Lvl.99 on Mar 12, 2009 7:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
In all honesty
how can it be anybody other than Blackledge? The guy was drafted ahead of Kelly and Marino (though I suppose you could blame the majority of that FAIL! on our scouts)
The sad thing is that this is actually a difficult poll.
Marley will be walking soon...she could probably play Linebacker better than some of the guys we had.
by PVChiefsfan on Mar 12, 2009 7:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Thats one argument
I went with Trezelle Jenkins because somehow, the guy wasn’t injured and only played in 9 games over three seasons.
by Chris Thorman on Mar 12, 2009 8:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
the argument i made yesterday was:
From wikipedia:
In 2000, Jenkins was drafted 156th overall by the San Francisco Demons of the XFL but failed to make the team.
"I will fight you!"
"What is your weapon?"
"My bare hands!"
"That is stupid. I will use a sword and I will cut off your bare hands."
by CT Chief Fan on Mar 12, 2009 8:40 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
When they drafted Jenkins and Peterson described him as a “project” I knew it was gonna be bad.
by stram#1 on Mar 12, 2009 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Its Blackledge.
For those exact reasons. We sucked for a decade because of this draft. Not to mention, we still haven’ drafted a QB in the first round since. Blackledge’s failure cut deep and hard apparently.
Beat the Donkeys!!
by schraggyj on Mar 12, 2009 8:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
AND
we wasted a 1st 4 years earlier on Steve Fuller, QB Clemson. He sucked it up big time as well. Blackledge was only a little worse than him, if any. Blackdeath gets my vote.
Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable. Mark Twain
by Chiefho on Mar 12, 2009 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
I don’t even know how this is supposed to be close. We passed on 2 future HOF QBs (as mentioned), one of whom is perhaps the greatest passer in NFL history. Oh, and 2 other HOFers (Bruce Matthews, Darrell Green) were also drafted after Blackledge.
by stag on Mar 12, 2009 8:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Len Dawson:
"Lamar Hunt had a dream and, the thing is, we had dreams, too. Just imagine the number of people that he has touched because he said, 'I'm going after this dream."'
by smokin iowa chief on Mar 12, 2009 1:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Percy Snow??
13th pick in ’90
Games Played 40
Sacks 2
Interceptions 1
the ineptitude of some of hte past drafts is amazing…
by Phalz212 on Mar 12, 2009 8:02 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Yep, saw him too
DThomasReigns’ post from a while ago shows just how inept it’s been as of late.
by Chris Thorman on Mar 12, 2009 8:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Blackledge
He caused a decade of futility. And we could have had Kelly or Marino instead. Whoops.
Beat the Donkeys!!
by schraggyj on Mar 12, 2009 8:04 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
hard to say we could have had kelly
we could have drafted him but he decided to play in the usfl and didn’t even sign with the bills until ’86. By then, Blackledge was all but done. we could have had 3 other hall of famers though
Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day.
Harry S. Truman
by kcguy on Mar 12, 2009 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hardly know these guys for obvious reasons
So I went to wikipedia to read their bios. I’m glad to say that none of them said “so and so was then traded to another team where he lead them to a super bowl”. Harvey Williams comes close to this but come on, it’s the Raiders.
I went for Blackledge on the basis of who wasn’t picked instead.
Blame my wife!
Waiting until August!
by sir eccles on Mar 12, 2009 8:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
bad form replying to myself but
I’m guessing there are probably loads of players drafted by the Chiefs who then went on to win superbowls with other teams.
Blame my wife!
Waiting until August!
by sir eccles on Mar 12, 2009 8:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
picked Blackledge
solely because his selection set the team behind a good 10 years. Also, not only could we have had Kelly or Marino, but even Tony Eason or Ken O’Brien would have been an improvement. Neither of those two were huge stars, but had a decent career at some point.
But yeah this is a tough list. As much as I would like to go after one of Carl’s guys, Blackledge’s pick had the most detrimental effect on the Chiefs up to this point when you look at the big picture.
by jbj8609 on Mar 12, 2009 8:36 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
that was a steadman and schaff regime move.
They were sooo much worse than King Carl.
Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable. Mark Twain
by Chiefho on Mar 12, 2009 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
wooood
take it easy those guys are probably managing the store that jon mcgraw works in baggin groceries or maybe these guys steal the shopping carts at the store jon mcgraw works at. I can just see jon chasing one of these bums like he was on special teams.
FOUR F'S FIND UM FEEL UM FUGUM FORGET UM.
by sexassassin on Mar 12, 2009 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Didn't realize
That McGraw got promoted to security at the store. :)
by Eastcoastransplant on Mar 12, 2009 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Worst 1st round pick
I think you left off the worst. How about Brian Joziwak in 1986. I’m not sure if he ever played a down. He had bad hips or knees.
by Niblick on Mar 12, 2009 8:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Blackledge
I have to go with Blackledge, any player who is so bad that they make the team and fans not want to pick another player at that position in the first round is a major bust. 26 years and we have never even tried to draft another 1st round QB, we have to be the only team in the NFL to do that.
Williams – I wouldn’t have him on the list, we were stacked at RB when he was here and we let him go when we got Marcus Allen
I list these players in this order
Blackledge
Jenkins
Palmer
Sims
Williams
by tevans96 on Mar 12, 2009 8:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Blackledge
You have to factor in where they were drafted in round 1.
Jenkins went #31 overall. He is a tremendous bust, but almost by definition he can’t be as big of a bust as a top 10 pick.
So it came down to Sims vs. Blackledge and to me, Blackledge beats him fairly easily, especially, as others have pointed out, considering the talented QB’s on the board in that draft.
Sims is the more frustrating case, simply b/c he was a guy that clearly never wanted it bad enough.
Great idea for a post!
by kcsno56 on Mar 12, 2009 9:04 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
On a side note...
This reminds me, do you guys know who was selected before Jerry Rice in 1985?
KC’s Ethan Horton, he went on to have a decent career with the Raiders, but what he contributed to us was zilch. Would have been fun to watch Rice running around the Arrowhead turf for a decade plus! Maybe by the time Carl/Marty came he’d have pushed us over the hump…
Of course you can play what if all day long with the draft, thats just one that bugs me.
by kcsno56 on Mar 12, 2009 9:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If we could go back in time
we could have Tom Brady throwing TD’s to Jerry Rice
Marley will be walking soon...she could probably play Linebacker better than some of the guys we had.
by PVChiefsfan on Mar 12, 2009 9:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
To continue in What If land.
What about, Drafting Marino instead of Blackledge, drafting Rice instead of Horton, Freeney or (gasp) Haynesworth instead of Sims (slapping my face, over and over), and Kordell Stewart as opposed to Trezelle Jenkins. Granted you never know, and different needs dictate BPA, but wow, looking at who could’ve been a Chief.
by Eastcoastransplant on Mar 12, 2009 1:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also...
In that little art thing of Ryan Sims….his ass is not nearly bulbous enough to be accurate…
by woodman212 on Mar 12, 2009 9:07 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Did
LJ paint it?
"I will fight you!"
"What is your weapon?"
"My bare hands!"
"That is stupid. I will use a sword and I will cut off your bare hands."
by CT Chief Fan on Mar 12, 2009 9:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The real poll should be:
Why cast blame on drafted players who didnt pan out? Stuff happens but the real problem lies with the incompetent organization management personnel. Lets have a new poll…who are the WORST personnel people responsible for the inept Chief teams over the last 30+ years? Jack Stedman? Carl Peterson? Who else? Who is in charge of personnel? Lets find out…who is to blame?
There is a reason Pittsburgh is always good and a reason the bad teams are always bad. Its the management…Lets poke a finger in their eyes.
by COCHIEF on Mar 12, 2009 9:20 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
It's status quo
To hate King Carl right now, and he did last way longer than his welcome here in KC. That being said, I don’t know if goes in worst ever. Not saying he wasn’t bad, but he did help turn things around in the 90’s. He did draft and sign some killer players. He just way outlived his welcome and couldn’t see that his time was done. Like five years ago.
by Eastcoastransplant on Mar 12, 2009 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tough Poll
Seems to not have adequate criteria. Worst player: Jenkins is unquestionably that. Worst pick: if you factor in placement in the draft and players available, Blackledge or Sims might be really bad. could you also factor in bust rate at position? If that is the case, DT and QB, even if they bust, are not that bad of a pick. They have a really high bust rate at any point in the draft, whereas OL and RB are pretty safe at the top.
I cannot help but think that these polls are really present skewed. Sims was a pretty bad pick, but at least the guy is still playing in the league. We used a 6th overall pick on a rotational tackle. I went with Jenkins because he was the worst player at a traditionally low-bust position, regardless of the fact it was at the end of the round.
Are there not any great busts in the 60s or 70s? Come on, older Chiefs fans, let’s hear about the tragedies of drafting past…
by bas on Mar 12, 2009 9:32 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Agreed: Jenkins was the worst play, most had him going in the third round, not the first.
Sims was pretty catastrophic as well. The Chiefs offense was Superbowl quality under Vermiel. They only needed to be average on defense. If Sims had been an All Pro type player he might have been the difference.
Toby is in HR, which technically means he works for corporate, so he's really not a part of our family. Also, he's divorced, so he's really not a part of his family.
by Rev. Slappy on Mar 12, 2009 11:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
OMFG IT'S VRABEL!!!
Just noticed. Check out that Jenkins rookie card. He’s blocking Mike Vrabel out of Ohio State in that picture. I love it!!!
Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?
by bas on Mar 12, 2009 9:34 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
That's pretty funny
one of the guys in that picture has 3 rings, and one sells chicken
hmmmmm…….
Marley will be walking soon...she could probably play Linebacker better than some of the guys we had.
by PVChiefsfan on Mar 12, 2009 9:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He’sblockingholding Mike Vrabel out of Ohio State in that picture.
Fixed it for you.
by JacinB on Mar 12, 2009 9:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Most blatantly obvious hold evar
OU SUCKS!!!!!!
by TexasFight83 on Mar 12, 2009 11:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
lol hundred yard Harvey
I was waiting with baited breath for this one to pan out and when he finally did he was a raider….. did it HAVE to be the raiders …. (honestly if it were another team I would have went with Blackledge)
I'm just a pilgram in an unholy land (ugh, does it have to be skin nation though?)
by VaChiefsfan on Mar 12, 2009 9:47 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I look at the opportunities lost
- 1983 – we passed up Jim Kelly and Dan Marino.
- 1987 – …. Christian Okoye… wait… we drafted 2 RBs back to back??
- 1991 – we passed up Ricky Watters.
- 1995 – nobody worth mentioning
- 2002 – we passed up John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth
I picked Blackledge because we missed out on two legendary franchise QBs. But imagine our 2003 season with Haynesworth.
by ChiefsDude on Mar 12, 2009 9:51 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
and..
imagine our 1997 season with Ricky Watters instead of Greg Hill. I wish I could go back and assassinate Grbac before the start of the 97 season. Anybody with me on that one?
by ChiefsDude on Mar 12, 2009 9:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It was close
Palmer was a scat back who for a minute teamed well with Okoye and ran back kicks pretty good. Harvey was a luxury speed back on a team with Okoye and Barry Word. Sims at least got on the field and was merely sub-mediocre. So for me it was Jenkins a totally bust and Blacckledge a total bust. I took Blackledge cuz we could have had Kelly or Marino and altered the entire history of the franchise.
by FrankPitts on Mar 12, 2009 9:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I want to vote for all of them from 1979-1987
listen to some of these names.
steve fuller ’79 qb
brad budde ’80 og
willie scott ’81 te
anthony hancock ’82 wr
todd blackledge ’83 qb
84 was a good year with john alt and bill maas
ethan horton ’85 rb
brian jozwiak ’86 ot
paul palmer ’87 rb
i think that says it all for why we were so awful in the 80’s and it also makes carl’s drafts actually look kinda respectable. i think i just puked in my mouth a little
Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day.
Harry S. Truman
by kcguy on Mar 12, 2009 10:18 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Brad Budde
wasn’t bad. Not great either.
Steve Fuller. 4 yrs. Went 13-18 with 22 tds and 32 ints.
Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable. Mark Twain
by Chiefho on Mar 12, 2009 12:13 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I went with Jenkins
In part because, as mentioned, the consensus among nearly everyone else in the NFL was that he was a third round talent, at best. They wasted a first round pick on a player they almost certainly could have had later, and he sucked to boot. That’s unforgivable.
IIRC, at least Blackledge was considered a legitimate member of the cant-miss QB class of 1983. The Chiefs took Ryan Sims at #6 one spot beofre the Vikings were going to take him at #7. Not saying they weren’t busts, but, at least the Chiefs weren’t the only team that was wrong.
With Jenkins, I think the Chiefs WERE the only team that was wrong, and that’s why I put him on top.
by DonnyDonovan on Mar 12, 2009 12:15 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Brian Jozwiak?
he was pretty damn lame too….literally
The only measure of true success in the NFL is the Vince Lombardi trophy. Anything less is a rationalization.
by sm7600 on Mar 12, 2009 12:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
What, you guys didnt put the all time worst Chief ever on this list?
Harvey Wallbanger – drafted first in the supplemental draft of 1908…I was there! :)
"But what do I know, I'm AP's new assclown and I’m like an empty room with a large ECHO"
by Lanier63 on Mar 12, 2009 12:30 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
blackledge was the worst
his dad was an assistant coach when they drafted him
by chiefsfandan on Mar 12, 2009 12:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I know he was bad
but Blackledge did have talent in college, and he came to a team with absolutely no line what so ever. Its kind of unfair to say he was the worst when there was no effort what so ever to build a line. Im not saying he wasnt a bad pick but I believe Ryan Sims or Trezelle Jenkins were worse picks.
by IamtheGreatest on Mar 12, 2009 12:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Trezelle Jenkins ...hands down
was the worst first round pick in Chiefs history. I can remember , like it was yesterday . When I heard the Chiefs pick that year , the first thing that came out of my mouth ,,was “WHO” ..why in the hell did they picked this guy in the first ..he was a projected to go in the 4th or 5th round as a project…I couldn’t believe that pick …shocking!!
blu
by blu43 on Mar 12, 2009 1:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Tough Call
Jenkins was drafted 31’st in 95. Blackledge was drafted 7th (in front of 2 HOF QB’s and behind a 3rd. Sims was drafted 6th! So looking purely at Draft position, it’s a toss up between Sims and Blackledge. Who was the bigger bust or who impacted us negatively on a larger scale? I think an argument could be made for both but I went with Sims, however thinking about it (knowing who we could’ve had instead of Blackledge….) I might have to change my opinion
by Eastcoastransplant on Mar 12, 2009 2:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
The mere fact that people say
“Percy who?” about Percy Snow, entitles him to consideration as the biggest bust of all time.
by G.L. on Mar 12, 2009 4:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Percy who
He was actually injured riding one of the bikes in training camp, and hurt his leg so he falls into the injury catagory
by ChiefsFaninFL on Mar 12, 2009 6:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Blackdeath's line was not bad.
L to R…Herkenhoff, Budde, Rush, Condon, Lutz.
Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable. Mark Twain
by Chiefho on Mar 12, 2009 6:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Worst pick
The best Jason Whitlock line was “Trazelle Jenkins footwork is so bad he couldnt kill a cockroach”
by harleyrydyr on Mar 12, 2009 10:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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